Important Update From the Founder

Dinner at Schwa

Chicago, IL

Tasted January 20, 2007 by mattowan with 380 views

Introduction

My and I joined another couple for a wonderful evening at this excellent Chicago BYOB. We started wiyth a 2004 Sancerre whose name escapes me. Nothing special. Nice and crisp but lacking structure and fruit. A decent starter but nothing more. (Dinner was actually 1/19, but I already created notes) This is my first Cellar tracker published event, so please go easy on me.

Started with Amuse of a beet truffle coated with cocoa along with a shooter of beet puree and white-chocolate cream (yum)

Flight 1 (1 note)

Next courses were
Confit of eggplant - white anchovy, red pepper, san simon
Chesnut (almost brulee like though not torched) - persimmon and serrano
Quali Egg Ravioli - ricotta, brown butter, parmigiano reggiano (one of the top 5 dishes I've had in years - a MUST do!!)

White

2004 Scholium Project Glos McDowell USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

96 points

Savignon blanc? Decanted and poured as the wine was a bit cold and tight at first. Gorgeous nose of honeysuckle and mango. Absolutely decadent minerality and viscosity on the palate with fruit that started subtle but picked up steam as the wine moved along the tongue. Kept getting better and better as the wine opened. Sad that this way only bottle a the wine should improve with another year or two of bottle age. Do NOT serve too cold.

Comment

Flight 2 (1 note)

Arctic char caviar - quince, celery root, and pink peppercorn (a stuggle of sweet, sour, and salty that didn't work for me)
Lobster - brussel sprouts, parsnips, hedgehog, black truffle (magnificent and perfect with the Burg)

Red

1996 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Clos Vougeot France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

94 points

Wonderful nose of earth, red fruit, and a hint of leather. Beautiful on the palate with balanced minerality, acid, and fruit. Red Raspberry and black cherry notes. The finish was 60+ seconds and showed it's full-bodied fruit. This baby has a ways to go.

Comment

Flight 3 (1 note)

Rabbit - pomegranate, pickled turnips (not so great), queso de valdeon
Beef 3 ways - raw (tartar with quail egg), pickled (tongue), and braised (no sauce, just fantastic flavor of the meat)

Red

1997 Château L'Evangile France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

92 points

Complex nose that changed every time I placed the glass near my face. Mushroom, earth, dried spice, truffle, dark fruit, cigar box. Very velvety on the palate with dried cherries, blueberries, and a little oak. A touch jammy, but quite enjoyable. Drink now.

Comment

Flight 4 (1 note)

The cheese course and the desserts are a bit gray in my brain right now. I do remember a "salt and mustard" course that paired warm and cold with sweet and salty perfectly. Also, some type of pumpkin cream that melted in my mouth.

White - Sweet/Dessert

2002 Groenekloof Moscato Onyx Noble Late Harvest South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

88 points

Dark honey color. Nose of dried fruits. Fairly simple but pleasing.

Comment

Closing

Schwa will definitely be in my restaurant rotation going forward. Service was outstanding. The food was top-notch. And $5 corkage!! We ended up spending $100 per person all-in for one of the best meals I've had in years. A no-brainer.

Dinner at Schwa

Chicago, IL

Introduction

Flight 1 (1 note)

Flight 2 (1 note)

Flight 3 (1 note)

Flight 4 (1 note)

Closing

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